Here are the eight lessons I have learned to keep myself as safe as possible in the event of an airplane mishap or crash. They were validated by the evacuation of US1702.
Count the number of rows from my seat to the nearest emergency exit, both in front and behind me, in case theres smoke obscuring vision during an evacuation.
Dress appropriately. Did you see the man in shorts and the women in very short dresses and no coats coming off the plane in the video, as it was cold and windy that day? They undoubtedly got very cold waiting to be picked up by the buses. I would have put a warm jacket under the seat in front of me, for a quick grab, just in case. Im cognizant that about 80 percent of airplane accidents occur during the first 3 to 5 minutes of flight, and the last 10 minutes.
Review the airplane safety card after boarding, even if Ive flown in the same or similar plane.
From personal experience, I know airplane cabins can be chaotic during emergency evacuations. Youve got to remain calm, make good decisions, and follow procedure.
If its cold, grab your coat, but leave your carry-ons, as they will slow your evacuation, and endanger you and your fellow passengers.
If youre at an emergency exit if you see fire, dont open the door. In the case of flight 1702, the emergency exit over the wing holding the engine spewing smoke and some fire should not have been opened. If the fire flared up, it could have gone into the cabin through the emergency exit.
High heels are nothing but trouble in case of a crash. If you need heels at your destination, change into them after you land. Never wear heels on an evacuation chute as your heel can get caught, flip you, and cause a broken leg.
When you get to the bottom of the evacuation chute, get off quickly so you arent injured by someone coming down the chute behind you.
Wait to take that selfie, and the video of the crashed plane until youre safely away from it. Once youre off the chute, leave the area immediately. Get behind something solid, such as an embankment or fire vehicle, if possible. In case of a fire and an explosion, shrapnel can fly great distances and seriously injure or kill passengers who safely evacuated from the plane.
Be smart. Dont copy the actions of the passengers of flight 1702, seen in the videos.
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